First off, this series is NOT supernatural. The source of the Vyrus is not how most people understand vampires in most modern day take on the genre.Book 5 (and last) of the Joe Pitt Case Files begins very differently from all the others. It's one of tise "If you're reading (or in this case hearing) this, I must be dead" openings. Too bad... I'd really come to respect the man, in all his attempts to live his lfe as cleanly as a Vampyre can, without bringing religion (or The Enclave) into it.[Oh, and some people have apparently read this novel first...Don't! Whatever would someone to read the last book in a series? Harry Potter? Lord of the Rings? The Amber series... Dresden Files... Sookie Stackhouse... I mean, Why? Most of the fun is getting there, it's not like reading the answers in the back of a Math textbook!]So, Joe is deep in a miasma of despair. He's been in the NYC sewers for about a year, literally under everyone's radar, friends as well as enemies. And he's not the badass he was. His life experiences have finally caught up with him, he's low, he's withdrawn. As he was told in Book 4, he's a "changed man". He's drawn back into life by one of his old associates... His pregnant, uninflected daughter and her Infected lover are runaways and he only trusts Joe to fin them. And in this last year, War has broken out among all the Vampyre Clans, partly because of the farming being done by the Coalition, the largest of the Clans of NY, which he exposed in the last book.This War is finally drawing the attention of the Uninfected -- making everything above ground in NYC dangerous for the Infected. This storyline takes place quickly, over about one day, I think, officially. However, it felt more like a week. People die. There are a lot of bodies, in pieces and mangled, but all parties and politics are addressed. There are really no stones left unturned, no stories left unexplained... All things at satisfactorily attended to... And not all resolved in just a few hurried sentences in the last paragraph, as many books are won't to wind up.I've very much enjoyed my ride along with Joe Pitt's dismal, dirty, and dead life. If you're tired of the usual supernatural, glittery, vampire/mundane romantic love story, you'll very much enjoy these books too. There's a quote on pg 259 of my edition that begins "You wanted adventure and romance..." Read that. It'll give you fits and giggles! This was my least favorite of the Joe Pitt casebook. I can't however, put my finger on why. Perhaps it was the unnecessary plotline involving Chubby's daughter. Perhaps it was the less than satisfying end. Perhaps it was my annoyance that, after asking why Vampyres didn't just spread out if there was a blood shortage, Vampyres spread out with apparent ease on the verge of being exposed. Whatever it was, this gets 3.5 stars from me. It was an unsatisfactory conclusion to what was otherwise a great series. At first I was excited that by the end of the 4th book an overarching story arc seemed to be emerging. The excitement dwindled when I realized what the story arc was. My excitement turned to boredome when I saw how it was executed. Had I read this as a standalone book I don't think I would read another Joe Pitt novel. Luckily, I read them in order so all's well that ends well...even if the end is lame.
What do You think about Ausgesaugt (2009)?
Too bleak. After his thumbs were cut off- I just couldn't finish it and skipped to the end.
—Lissy
Cool story, strangely formatted. Wish I could have read all of the previous series books.
—leafy
the last in the series, everything basically goes to hell.
—Kari
Great storey arch, an amazing ending to a great series!
—moocrew
